Jack Cavanaugh/Bluffton Today Madison Aust readies for a draw against Savannah Christian in the first half.

Jack Cavanaugh/Bluffton Today Nicole Oliver makes a move toward the goal in the first half.

Four players scored for the Bluffton High boys lacrosse team Wednesday night, but that was not enough for the Bobcats to come away with a victory in their home opener against the Beaufort Lacrosse Club.

Beaufort defeated Bluffton 11-7 on a night when the weather and field conditions were less than ideal.

Bryce DeSalvo had a hat trick plus one and Henri Loper, Cameron Etheridge and Elijah Lewis each added goals of their own.

Bluffton and Beaufort played to a stalemate through the first quarter and for most of the second quarter. The Bobcats went into halftime down 2-1, but Beaufort roared to life in the third quarter, scoring seven goals to the Bobcats’ three.

“A lot of lessons learned in conditions that were not ideal, to say the least.”

Bluffton, for the most part, was able to keep pressure on Beaufort all night and controlled the ball and maintained possession for most of the game.

“We just couldn’t connect the dots at times,” Kramer said. “I thought we kept good pressure on them all night long, but we just couldn’t finish.”

The Bluffton girls meanwhile, kept it close for most of Monday night against Savannah Christian, but they were unable to come away with a win in their first scrimmage of the season.

The Bobcats eventually fell to the Raiders 15-13 after a strong outing in the first 10 minutes of the first half, followed by some defensive miscues from there on out .

“Offensively, they just jelled and did what they were supposed to do those first 10 minutes,” Bobcats coach Dani Tosky said. “They clicked and found a rhythm.”

Nicole Oliver led Bluffton with eight points, followed by Madison Aust with three of her own while Megan Lasiter added two.

The Bobcats were able to jump out to an early lead behind Oliver and Aust, who got Bluffton out to an early 5-1 lead in the first 10 minutes.

“Draws are important. They say that you win the draws and you win the game,” Tosky said. “I think that’s what we did to start and used that to our advantage.

“They picked up on weaknesses, though, and used that to their advantage.”

The Bobcats’ defense was still going through some growing pains. The Raiders were able to pick apart Bluffton’s defense, get back into the game and head into halftime tied at seven.

“We have two goalies that are new to the game, and the defense is still learning how to communicate,” Tosky said. “The defense and the goalies are still learning to call out to each other to help each other out.”

Coming back out at halftime, though, the Bobcats kept it close until the final minutes.

“The girls showed a great amount of determination in that they didn’t let this one get away from them,” Tosky said. “It was anybody’s game until the final minute or so, and we kept it close and didn’t let them pull away.

“We’ve still got a lot to work on, but I still liked the heart and determination I saw from these girls.”

The Bluffton boys (0-1) will be in action at home Monday at 7:30 p.m. against Hilton Head Island. The girls open their season at home at 6 p.m. Wednesday against Hilton Head.